Lightning won't be distracted by Malone arrest

Lightning coach Jon Cooper, via The Tampa Tribune, shares his thoughts on Ryan Malone's arrest on charges of cocaine possession and driving under the influence.

“I don’t know that will cause any sort of a distraction,’’ Cooper said. “Hockey wise, we’ve had way more distractions worse than this one. This is more of a life issue with a friend of ours. Physically we know that he’s doing OK and hopefully the worst is over and this is moving onward and upward. But as for the hockey, this won’t be a distraction at all.’’

He continued.

“We’ve had so many different (situations) and it’s pretty remarkable that all this has been fit into one 82-game season, to be honest, but no matter what happens, regardless with what happens with anything, you are dealt with as a human being first and a hockey player second,’’ Cooper said. “You want to look after your players in their life first. I’ve spoken to Ryan, and there is a whole process to go through that is out of our hands, but inside he is feeling OK.

“And no matter how long this process takes, Ryan is probably a little embarrassed with what has gone on in making a poor decision getting behind the wheel when he had alcohol in his system. But for me, I’ve watched all the good decisions Ryan Malone has made in his life and how charitable he’s been and the staple he has been in our community since he’s been here and I hope this instance does not take away from that. He’s been a class act for us on and off the ice. Nobody is perfect, we all make marginal decisions in our life, but this will be a learning experience for him and we are really looking forward to getting him back at some point.’’

Source: Erik Erlendsson, Tampa Tribune